Brunnhoelzl Leads Wire-To-Wire at SoBo
Whelen Southern Modified Champ Notches 18th Career Win
SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – George Brunnhoelzl III led wire-to-wire to score his 18th career victory in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour on Saturday – winning the South Boston 150 at South Boston Speedway.
The No. 28 Epox-Z/Oval Speed Chevrolet of Brunnhoelzl seemed as if it was on rails throughout the day. Earlier in the day, he won his 19th career Coors Light Pole Award in qualifying.
“Couldn’t ask for much better,” Brunnhoelzl said. “We were fastest in first practice, won the pole and sitting here in Victory Lane. South Boston is an amazing track and it was a good win.”
The race victor was shadowed throughout the 150-lap event by Brian Loftin, but it never evolved much beyond that. Brunnhoelzl always had enough car to escape when Loftin got close.
[Photo Gallery] by Brad Newman
“Early on I was looking for a comfortable pace,” said Brunnhoelzl. “I’d back out of it a little and he’d get close, so I’d run a little harder. At the end, though, I had saved enough and took off.”
The runner-up Loftin, who logged his best finish of the young season, stayed within striking distance throughout the race, but never could mount much of challenge and he conceded that Brunnhoelzl was the class of the field.
“We had a pretty good race car tonight, but (Brunnhoelzl’s) was better,” said Loftin. “He could turn through the center of the corner better which let him get back to the throttle sooner. That’s how it was all night. He was the class of the field.”
Third-place finisher Kyle Ebersole posted his third straight top-10 finish to start the season after starting in the eighth position. He, too, acknowledged it was Brunnhoelzl’s night, but it didn’t diminish his satisfaction with the performance.
“We got to third after the break, but just didn’t have enough there at the end,” he stated. “We’re pretty happy with the third-place finish.”
John Smith and Tim Brown finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and were followed by Burt Myers, Jason Myers, Gary Putnam, Jeremy Gerstner and Renee Dupuis to complete the top 10.
In four previous starts at South Boston, Brunnhoelzl had finished second on two occasions, in 2009 and 2011. He has led a tour high 311 laps at the .4-mile oval. The Southern Modified Tour has had five different winners in five visits to the Virginia track.
Brunnhoelzl, the three-time tour champion from West Babylon, N.Y., became the third different winner in three races this season and extended his lead in the championship standings. After bringing a five-point lead into the event, he left with a 12-point advantage over Ebersole. Brunnhoelzl also recorded the most recent wire-to-wire win in the tour, at Charlotte last October.
The race was slowed due to caution five times for 31 laps.
Prior to the race the 2013 inductees to the Virginia Motorsports Hall of Fame were introduced. This year’s class consists of Runt Harris, Rick Hendrick and Jimmy Hensley.
The next event on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified schedule will be at Caraway Speedway near Asheboro, N.C., on Saturday, April 20.
LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | RESULTS | BRIAN LOFTIN POST-RACE AUDIO | KYLE EBERSOLE POST-RACE AUDIO
Sources: Kevin W. Green/NASCAR PR
NWSMT South Boston 4/13/13 Unofficial Results
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Race: NWSMT South Boston 4/13/13
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 1 28 George Brunnhoelzl, III EpoxZ/Oval Speed Chevrolet 150 48 5 Running
2 2 23 Brian Loftin L&R Trans./QMF Metal & Electronics Chevrolet 150 42 Running
3 8 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Ford 150 41 Running
4 5 25 John Smith G-Oil/Shady Grady Racing Chevrolet 150 40 Running
5 3 02 Tim Brown Hayes Jewelers/T&C Motorsports Chevrolet 150 39 Running
6 6 1 Burt Myers Citrusafe/Adam’s Towing & Recovery Ford 150 38 Running
7 7 4 Jason Myers Wendell Edwards Performance Ford 150 37 Running
8 11 77 Gary Putnam Stock Car Steel Chevrolet 150 36 Running
9 17 70 Jeremy Gerstner * GMR Lawn Care/Fountain Motorsports Chevrolet 150 35 Running
10 10 59 Renee Dupuis Space Fitters Chevrolet 149 34 Running
11 14 40 Luke Fleming * Koma Unwind/AutosByNelson.com Ford 148 33 Running
12 12 11 Andy Seuss Ideal Racing/Danny Glad Engines Dodge 140 32 Running
13 4 65 Danny Bohn Cedar Peaks Enterprises/Rustoleum Chevrolet 129 31 Running
14 18 24 Donnie Lacks * Lacks Auto Service Chevrolet 124 30 Running
15 9 2 J R Bertuccio, Jr Gershow Recycling Chevrolet 112 29 Accident
16 15 97 Bryan Dauzat O.B. Builders Chevrolet 112 28 Accident
17 16 12 Mike Norman McDonald’s Of South Boston/DMC Chevrolet 79 27 Accident
18 13 80 Michael Speeney Presto Painters Tape/MRI Graphics Chevrolet 75 26 Accident
19 19 04 David Calabrese * Diamond Back Towing Chevrolet 0 25 Did Not Start
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: George Brunnhoelzl, III, Time: 14.658 Seconds, Speed: 98.240 mph
Time of Race: 1 hrs., 5 mins, 12 secs Average Speed: 55.215 mph Margin of Victory: 1.094 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 44-50 (Cars #40, #70 and #77 accident in Turn 2); 76-77 (Competition Caution – Halfway Break); 80-87 (Cars #59 and #12 accident
in Turn 1); 114-118 (Cars #2, #11 and #97 accident in Turn 4. ); 130-134 (Car #65 spin on frontstretch). 5 for 31 laps.
Lap Leaders: George Brunnhoelzl, III 1-150.
Total Laps Led: George Brunnhoelzl, III 150. 0 changes involving 1 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: George Brunnhoelzl, III 131, Kyle Ebersole 119, Tim Brown 113, Burt Myers 112, Andy Seuss 110, John Smith 103, Gary Putnam
100, Brian Loftin 96, Luke Fleming * 93, Bryan Dauzat 92
Next Race:April 20 at Asheboro, N.C.
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender